Lip Slurs

What it is: Moving between two notes on the same fingering or slide position by changing the lip aperture (and air speed) to select a different partial of the harmonic series. No valve change, no slide change — just lips and air.

What it sounds like: A glassy, completely connected slur. No articulation between the two notes, no valve "click," no audible re-attack. The closest analogue is a slurred octave on a flute, but lip slurs work between adjacent partials — not just octaves.

When to use it: When you want pure brass legato. Lip slurs are the foundation of brass tone development — every trumpet warmup is half lip-slur exercises. Use them when the line lives within a single harmonic series (e.g., bugle-call melodies on brass) and when you want the singing, connected quality that valve-articulated slurs can't match.

Tip: Check the harmonic series before writing. Two notes on the same fingering are a lip slur; two notes on different fingerings are a valve slur (still slurred, but with a tiny valve transient). The C–G–c–e–g–bb–c² series on Bb trumpet open fingering shows what a single fingering can produce. The wider the interval between partials, the harder the slur — beyond an octave is pro territory.

Watch — Lip Slur Exercises

A standard daily warmup that's nothing but lip slurs. Watch how the player keeps the same fingering across multiple notes — that's what makes them lip slurs and not valve slurs.

Trumpet Lip Slur Exercise — Flexibility Workout

Pattern-based exercises for developing the technique. The visual of fingerings staying the same while the pitches change is the key thing to watch.

How to Improve Trumpet Range — One Lip Slur Exercise

Single exercise focused on extending into the high register through controlled lip slurs. Why the technique is the foundation of brass tone development.